Students stuck in middle of city-School Board fight

Published: Thursday, March 7, 2013 at 6:48 p.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, March 7, 2013 at 6:48 p.m.

A simmering feud between the city of Ocala and the Marion County School Board almost claimed six more victims this week.

A month after the City Council refused to let the Belleview High School Air Force JROTC have free use of a city facility for their annual cadet ball, city officials also put the brakes on a request to let Forest High School students shadow city firefighters and paramedics.

The issue apparently was resolved Thursday when city officials agreed to let the students shadow emergency workers as planned.

But not before it got ugly.

The Forest students, most of them seniors in the Health Occupations program, apparently got caught in the crossfire between the City Council and School Board over fire and stormwater fees.

The two boards are involved in a lawsuit over more than $700,000 in fees the city claims it is owed by the School Board. The School Board claims it is not required to pay because, as a government agency, it has sovereign immunity and does not have a contract with the city for those services.

Unaware of the feud, a half dozen Forest High School students recently approached Ocala Fire Rescue officials for permission to shadow paramedics on the job, as Forest students have for 17 years.

One of the six, Louis Contento, said they were turned down.

"They said they couldn't do it because the city doesn't want to have any involvement with the schools," Contento said they were told.

So the students went to the Ocala City Council Tuesday evening to plead their case, but they never got the chance.

The students said Catherine Cameron, assistant city manager of public services, pulled them into a room before they could address the council during the portion of the meeting set aside for public comments.

"She was telling us she was working on it and how she wanted it on the down low and didn't want it in the public," student Abigail Zavaski said.

Zavaski said Owen then appeared and spoke about the problem between the city and School Board.

"The city wants them to sign something and the School Board would not," Zavaski said they were told. "I think he was trying to point all the fingers at the School Board. He told us to go to the School Board and ask them why. He made us go over there, basically, trying to keep us out of the meeting."

The students then went several blocks to the School Board office, where Superintendent George Tomyn said he was sorry they were caught in the middle of the city-School Board dispute.

They returned to City Hall, and Owen again pulled them aside.

"He was giving us all these excuses why nothing could be signed," Contento said. "He said he would be shocked if we can't shadow by Tuesday. He never said we would be able to shadow. He never said we could. He never said we couldn't."

Owen did not return calls for comment.

On Wednesday, Cameron said the city was working on a contract for the School Board to sign so the shadowing program could continue.

"We haven't worked out all the details this year," she said.

By Thursday, however, city officials said they planned to let the students shadow Ocala firefighters.

"It has been determined that there is no cost to the City for participating in the student shadow training program," Cameron wrote in an email to the Star-Banner. "Therefore, the training program will move forward as scheduled."

City Manager Matthew Brower said Thursday afternoon he made the decision to allow the shadowing because no city resources are being used, "other than a seat."

City Councilman John McLeod agreed with the move.

While McLeod supports the city's position on the lawsuit against the School Board, he said he doesn't want to deny students opportunities the city has afforded them in the past while the lawsuit is wending its way through the courts.

Councilman Jay Musleh said Wednesday that he hadn't talked to Owen about the issue.

"Sometimes we have to make decisions that, unfortunately, impact the kids. It's not like the School Board is not making decisions that impact the kids, too," Musleh said. "You can't hide behind the kids. I feel that's what the School Board is doing."

School Board Chairman Ron Crawford applauded city officials for allowing the shadowing to take place but expressed disappointment with how the matter was handled.

"If they think their legal position is right, why don't they wait until the appellate court makes its ruling," Crawford said. "I think it's sad they want to put the kids in the crossfire. I am not going to tell the city of Ocala how to run their show."

This week's controversy was just the latest chapter in a City Council/School Board feud that has been raging for more than a year. During that time, the two boards have sniped at each other, and students are often caught in the middle.

In June, 2012, the City Council debated whether to allow the Forest High School Golf Team to continue practicing at a city golf course for free.

In the fall, the School Board initially rejected a request by the Ocala City Council and Marion County Commission to use the schools' gyms and athletic fields for after-hours recreational programs. It then agreed to do so but backed out again when the City Council added a condition that the School Board stay current on fees owed to the city.

Then last month, the city refused to let the Belleview High School Air Force JROTC use the American Legion Hall for free for their Cadet Military Ball.

Contact Susan Latham Carr at 867-4156 or susan.carr@starbanner.com.

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